Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-06-09
A STRANGE ANIMAL
An Arizona Hunter Kills q Beast That
Can Not Be Classified.

All Arizona Hunter hlllS bcaSt ina
Can Not Be Classified.
/ While inone1of the principal store!
of this typical w Western s'city', writes 1
EWinslow, Arizona, correspondent, {
long, lean, lank specimen of humanity
stepped in and asked the proprietor o.
the store if he was ION the trade. = =
The store keeper, who evidently had
previous dealings with his customer
said he guessed he was if he could see
any money in it, The frontiersman
then without further remark unpacked
large and apparently heavy parcel he
had brought in with him, wrapped in
the dilapidated remains OF a striped
Navajo blanket, and displayed to his
amazed audience a beautiful striped
hide, which, had it not been for its
taken for that Of Bengal tiger. 1t
was of a fine tawny color, with rich,
black stripes and marks and measured
seven feet and three inches from snout
to the tip of its rather long tall In
addition to this novelty the customer
united the raw-hide thongs that held
another and smaller parcel, and from
it he took a small china jar and a large
bundle of rattlesnakeskin After hav-
ing displayed the whole contents of the
blanket, the storekeeper asked what
animal he had killed to get the tiger
like hide from. The frontiersman be-
fore answering deliberately cut himself
a large quid from the speakers plug,
which he had borrowed for the pur-
pose, and then said that he had been on
a prospecting trip into the mountains,
and that, as he thought he knew ola
good location for mine, he had gone
alone. On the third night out he had
eaten supper and spread his blanket,
preparing for q soundsleep, when he
thought he heard noise like the pur-s
ring of large cat Thinking that a
lion was pretty close to him,
and knowing that the animals hide
would bring him a few dollars, he
drew his Winchesterclose to his side,
and, turning on his stomach, he watch
ed for his visitor in the, direction from
Which. the noise, had come. Ina few
moments he detected the form of the
beast about twenty yards away IN the
timber, the flickering light of the fire
making the outlines of~-the- animal
just visible, and waiting a chance
when it looked as though shot
could be sent into its body with
advantage to himself, he fired and
threw another cartridge into the cham
ber of his rifle before movingna inch.
This act probably saved his life, for he
had hardly got his weapon in order
again before the supposed mountain
lion, with a scream that the narrator
said "would have turned the morrer in
4 dead mans bones,n made a String
clear over the hunters body, being
probably deceived as to the distance by
she light Of the fire, and alighted with |
N few feet of the now thoroughly
scared prospector, who. had sense
,nongh left, however, to put a ball |
the brute's, head before it
,ould recover itself for another spring.
rhisshot Wasseffsctive, going through
he brain and instantly killing the
beautiful creature. After a cursory
ook at the animal, and noticing that
was of a species he had never seen,
Ilthough he had spent thirteen years
II those mountains and thought he |
new all the animals infesting them,
le turned over on his blanket and
lept as we'll as he could until daylight.
lie then skinned the disturber of his
leep, and, knowing he could sell it for
good price to one of the dealers in In
ian and other curiosities in the settle
nents, he started up and made tracks.
Or Winslow. The rattlesnake hides
e also wanted to dispose of to the
torekeeper, who retailed them to visi!
ors from. the East, who had hat-bands
made of them to wear home and make
helr relatives believegthey had met the
make ii its lair and after a fearful bait
e finally subdued 1t, taking its skin as
trophy. The china jar contained the
il of these disgusting reptiles, and the
of the store told the writer
ssmet with readyisaie among people /,
'oubled with rheumatism, Who used 1t 1,
san Ointment with which to rub the
oubled member. THE hide of the mn
no own animal was purchased by ithe
as were all thesnake skins
nd oil; but although shown to some of
le Oldest Indians on the Navajo reser-
alton, none could tell from what ani-
al it had been taken, neither did any n
the volumes of natural history in N
le city givea description of any ami {
al even nearly like this one killed in
le mountains of Arizona. .-St. louis
q